So many entrepreneurs and people in general believe that ‘overnight success’ exists and become frustrated when it does not happen to them. In the technology boom we are experiencing, we are encountering not only innovation growth, but also sky-rocking expectations.
More like over decades
There are so many examples out there being championed by the media – the most recent one that comes to mind is the hugely successful PokemonGo app, which was downloaded 7.5 million times in the US in barely half a week.
But occurrences like this are creating an illusion that the founder of the app has hit it big with his first try, when the reality could not be more different. For John Hanke, the overnight success was the result of 20 years of hard work and improving his skills.
Even the best struggled
Google Hangout interviews with Elon Musk and Richard Branson reveal how hard it was for both of them starting out – how they came so close to failure over the first four years. It is hard to imagine that these successful entrepreneurs once faced and overcame the same challenges as you.
Learn from Leo
Entrepreneurs have high expectations, which means they tend to lose motivation when they don’t achieve overnight success. In many cases this is followed by ‘giving up’.
But instead of feeling blue, founders should focus on achieving ‘long-term success’, no matter how many years of work it takes.
As Leo Tolstoy once said: “So remember: great achievements take time, there is no overnight success.”
